Throughout the second half of 2008, the US Mint has had problems with the supply of gold coins for the collector and investor market. Gold American Eagle and Buffalo coins were is short supply causing the US Mint to suspend and limit gold sales before changing the pricing policy of all precious metal products. Could the US Mint be trying to discourage gold ownership?

Michael Zielinski, author of Coin Update and Mint News Blog, writes about this on the Seeking Alpha blog. Zielinski tracks the actions taken by the US Mint and their explanation for the actions noting that “the consequence of each action has been to limit or discourage gold ownership.”

Zielinski notes that the US Mint will be lowering the number of gold options by eliminating fractional issues and suspending the American Buffalo issue altogether.

“Whether or not it was the US Mint’s intention, every significant action they have taken since August has either limited gold availability, eliminated gold product options, or increased the cost of acquiring gold,” Zielinski writes. “Has it all just been a consequence of surging global demand for gold, supply chain mismanagement, and bad timing for policy decisions? Or is there something else going on here?”

Please read Zielinski’s full article at Seeking Alpha.

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